"Fear(s) of the Dark"

The individuality of graphic artistry goes beyond most conglomerations of words. Early on the animated black-and-white anthology "Fear(s) of the Dark", we have a close up of some lines- ink strokes, no more- and I go: "Well, now, isn't that like a Charles Burns line!"

It is! It is a Charles Burns line! I could never tell you why an eye drawn by Burns is different from one by Adrian Tomine or by Daniel Clowes or by Chris Ware- all dealing with CIRCLES I would think were universal- but darned, they're theirs, and my doodles are mine, and everybody else has a copyright on their own universe of circles and lines. How few writers shy of gimmickry can claim the same!
Burns contributes a typically Cronenbergian, mysognistic story about an initially affecting relationship devolving into vampiric deformity- complete with women-as-praying-mantis images that would be reprehensible if they weren't so honest. The clip issues right off his monumental "Black Hole", which you should read NOW. (I mean NOW, forget the rest of the post, abandon the Internet, run to a bookstore- or buy below! Make me a commission!)
Of the remaining five stories in the anthology, two are great, two little more than connective tissue, and one rather boring; not an awful average, for these things.
The great:

Marie Caillou's mock-culture-phobic compendium, an unnerving tale about Japanese school-bullies/ghost-samurais/raping-tentacles, all tormenting a cutely designed little girl. The scene in which her mates shove Hello-Cutie to the ground and let spiders loose up her thighs is easily the scariest animated thing I ever saw. (Does Jar Jar Binks count as animated?)

Robert McGuire's cartoon is sooo inventive one forgives its too-literal take on the black-and-white-and-fear motif- and don't let is cartooniness disarm you: it has a truly chilling ending.
The boring:
It's boring.

The connective tissue involves rampaging bestiality and, most frightful of all, GUILTY EUROPEAN LIBERAL WHINING: "My carbon footprint won't let me sleep at night! Have I done enough to stop racism? Have I enjoyed American movies too much recently? I surprised myself having a conservative thought about safe neighborhoods for my kids! OH, NO, NO, I may be becoming CENTER LEFT! THE HORROR!"